1541 W 6th Ave, Vancouver
Tel: 604-336-2456
Web: http://www.grapesandsoda.ca
Twitter: @grapesandsoda
Advice: No reservations. Open Wednesday – Sunday.
Continuing the journey that Chef David Gunawan and Dara Young started with their next door eatery, The Farmers Apprentice. The progression here is for Natural wine, artisanal cocktails and seasonal small plates. Bar Manager Satoshi Yonemori has created multi-faceted cocktails with unique ingredients and spirits. My friend and fellow writer Tara Lee joined me for some cocktails, Natural wines and dishes.
The Green Collins
Bread and Cultured Butter
We began with The Green Collins ($12) made of G’Vine Gin, fresh sorrel, lemon juice and soda. Housemade cultured butter with bread to start us off.
Asparagus
Clos Roche Blanche.’No. 5′ Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Burrata
We enjoyed a selection of mostly French and Italian Natural wines to accompany our dishes. Starting off with the Asparagus ($10) with whipped goat cheese, sprouted wheat berries, lemon zest; paired with the Clos Roche Blanche.’No. 5′ Sauvignon Blanc 2012 from the region of Touraine in Loire Valley, France. The next dish was the delicious Burrata ($12) fava tips and shaved asparagus salad, asparagus juice. This was paired with Angiolino Maule’s ‘Masieri’ Bianco 2012 (grapes are Garganega 80%, and Trebbiano 20%), from the region of Veneto, Italy.
Sockeye
Sparkling Puzelat-Bonhomme Cabernet Franc
Anchovies
Verdicchio (the grape) di Matalica,
Chicken Balantine
Roagna Bianco 2012
Stunning citrus cured and smoked Sockeye ($10) with mizuna greens, ikura, poached rhubarb, and wild strawberries, was well paired with the sparkling Puzelat-Bonhomme Cabernet Franc, from Loire Valley. Next was the outstanding marinated Anchovies ($10) , fennel and celery salad, olive oil croutons; well paired with the Verdicchio (the grape) di Matalica, from the region Marche, Italy. The last savoury dish was the delicious Chicken Balantine ($12) a rolled chicken breast stuffed with confit cooked leg and morel mushrooms, aerated Anson Mill grits, crumbed hazelnuts, wild onion emulsion, and sautéed morel mushrooms; paired with Roagna Bianco 2012, from Piedmont, Italy.
Olive Oil Cake
Stormy Flip
For dessert, the delicious Olive Oil Cake ($7) lightly soaked with rum, house made grapefruit sorbet, lemon curd, and grand fir. This dessert was designed around Satoshi’s drink called the Stormy Flip, which is made with rum, citrus marmalade curd, house made falernum, grapefruit juice and ginger beer.
Looking forward to more evenings at this one of a kind wine bar.
Review by: Richard Wolak
Vancouver, BC V6J 1R1, Canada